FAHIM’S BULLET

Confidence is a funny old thing. Just when you need it, to steady a hand drilling out a sheared head stud, or hold a line between gravel and horse muck on a sweeping corner, it can completely desert you. So you’ve got to give yourself the best chance of success; it can make sense to start small. Swapping out bolt on parts, polishing covers, perhaps switching up lights, before going headlong into an engine rebuild or tank swap.

It’s perhaps why we end up seeing so many half finished projects on certain auction sites, where the confidence and appetite for building a bike can sadly sometimes outweigh time and talent. Still it’s better to try than not at all, but to succeed is the dream. Yet to succeed takes confidence; damn vicious circles. So there comes a point when you just have to jump…

As it was for twenty four year old Fahim Rehman, hailing from Calicut, a small town in northern Kerala, India. Having graduated from collage with a degree in electrical engineering it was the desire to make his bike his own that got him started. But sensibly he learnt to walk before he started to run. Replacing easy parts, like the seat and handlebars on his Enfield Bullet 350, he gradually became confident enough to build a whole bike.

And more importantly, it was during that period that he found his real passion. The countless hours spent in the garage never felt boring; Fahim would work late in to the night, and start working right when he woke up. With passion, came confidence.

So with courage flowing and the family business usefully being industrial steel fabrication, Fahim was able to assemble himself a a selection of tools to take the next step with his dream. A few additional purchases and a thorough clean up of the store room behind his house soon created the perfect make-shift garage and Lone Wolf Motorcycles was born.

This time last year, the first bike rolled out the garage: a Brat-Tracker styled Bajaj pulsar 180. 

With a similar second build completed, when it came to the third, a different style was calling. A fan of classic British bobbers, a Royal Enfield was the clear way to go. Fate was obviously smiling that day as Fahim got a call from a close friend asking for just such a bike. The only condition was a two months deadline. No time for baby steps now…

A used 2004 Thunderbird 350cc was found for a decent price and hauled back to the garage. With an eye for clean, simple bikes, it was completely stripped down and parts were filtered one by one according to usefulness. Only the absolutely necessary would stay. To get the desired stance, the swing-arm was lengthened by about 3 inches and wheels were rebuilt to have a 19″ rim up front and a chunkier 18″ at the rear. The bike now sits, ‘just-so’.

The tank was taken from a standard Royal Enfield Bullet, but was nipped and tucked for a sleeker feel. Mounting points were also changed so it sat on the spine frame in a more pleasing manner. Mated up to the custom leather seat, adorned with the Royal Enfield logo, there is classic simplicity at play here.

Footpegs were relocated and a set of wider, lower bars substituted, making for a comforatble yet purposeful riding position. The headlight was brought from the local market and customised to accommodate the ignition key and function switches, leaving the bars clean.

Heading back to familiar ground, Fahim completely rewired the bike. A new 12v circuit removed the need for a battery. With kick start only, all the power for the lighting now comes directly from the alternator, which freed up space in the chassis. A container beneath the seat now offers useful storage for gloves, glasses and other accouterments.

Mudgards were bobbed and held in place with new stays, close to the tyres they show form and function can be happy bedfellows. To leave the rear end sleek, the stock tail light and number plate were relocated to a side mounted position.

Fahim painted the bike himself and made a cracking job of it. Limiting the number of colours to just two, the matt silver and gloss black stripes belie the humble origins. A subtle Lone Wolf logo resides on the back of the tank, Fahim happy for the bike to do the talking. The frame and other cycle parts were given a matt black finish while the engine was simply polished for a classic contrast.

The apparent simplicity of the build has been made possible by only a lot of hard work. The stunning photos, taken by Fahim’s brother Farhan more than do the bike justice. Also take a gander at this beautifuly made companion video which is sure to give you the confidence to back in the garage, make that jump and do what you love.

via The Bike Shed

‘03 Harley Sportster – Macco Motors

Nature has a way of telling us perpetually inquisitive humans when enough is enough. When our touchy little fingers and our peepy little eyes should just back the hell off. It’s called a sting. Whether it’s delivered via fangs, spikes or spines, you know it’s gonna hurt you. Maybe more. And for those who aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer, it’s often accompanied by a visual cue, a flash of colour, to let you know that things are probably going to get ouchy should you choose to continue. But when the creature is the latest build fromMacco Motors and it looks this good, to hell with the pain.

After a quick hit of antivenom, Jose & Tito from Spain’s Macco Motors took the time to run us through their latest build. “Here you have our new bike, an ‘03 Harley Davidson 883 Sportster Anniversary Edition that we have just finished customising. We call it ‘the Sting’.

When the boys first laid eyes on the bike it was a real mess; the Hog’s latest owner told them it had essentially been totally neglected for five long years. Add to that some amateurish, chopper-styles changes including a comically long springer front and we’re sure you’ll agree that the boys had a HD basket case on their hands. “It was rude, rusty and dusty. But it was also our first Harley Davidson commission, so we were excited, too.”

“First of all, we cleaned the engine and brought it back to life. Next we sourced a pair of original forks and remounted them, which was an unbelievable improvement. Then we began to think about the overall design. To be true to our principles, we wanted to build something useful and smart. It’s what we try to do with all our bikes. Luckily, we had the permission of the owner to create a ‘Macco’ bike; something that we were free to make amazing without too much intervention from the owner.”

The next big mod was to remove the standard (and huge) Sportster tank and replace it with an adapted, smaller 8 litre unit. “We worked on it to get the raw look you see here, and then we choose the glossy black and vivid yellow colour for the ‘sting’. Next cam Biltwell drag bars, a Bultaco 4″ 1/2 headlight with a protective grille and new digital speedometer.”

The lads then chopped the rear frame to add the lovely, rather wasp-like new fiberglass tail section. And over it, a new rhombus-patterned seat was attached that matches with the black Biltwell Thruster 1″ grips.

“We attached some aluminium bullet indicators and a lowered rear progressive suspension set-up with bearing housings to adjust the shock length. Then a new air filter and two Avon Safety Mileage MKIIs; 5.00/16s on the rear and 4.00/19s on the front. Finally, we added some short and very fruity gringo exhausts and we were done. We hope your readers like it!”

[Sergio Ibarra from Semimate]

via PIPEBURN

The Renault 5 Turbo that packs supercar punch

Instantly recognisable as THE small car of the 1980s packing near-supercar punch, the formidable Renault 5 Gordini Turbo (the proper, mid-engined homologation special, mind you, not the conventional front-engined, front-wheel-drive equivalent) is a hot favourite in the Classic Driver office…

Built in small numbers for Group 4 and Group B rallying, the Renault 5’s modest little 1.4-litre engine was boosted to a staggering 160bhp (and that’s in road-going form) to power this miniature hot-shot. Just as importantly, the engine was taken out from under the bonnet and, once the rear seats had been removed, plonked behind the driver and front passenger. It was, of course, rear-wheel drive and claimed 0-60mph in under seven seconds, with a top speed of something around 125mph. What fun.

The prototype Turbo actually appeared as early as 1978, at the Paris Salon of that year, and from 1980 onwards it proved itself highly effective as a competitive rally car, with victories that included the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally and 1982 Tour de Corse. 

The 1983 pictured car, however, is a road car (left-hand drive). It was clearly much-loved by the third of its four owners from new, as he kept the car for a full 26 years, from 1986 to 2012. The car is a ‘Turbo 1’, and hence has the aluminium doors, roof and tailgate not found on the more widely available, all-steel Turbo 2. We’re told it had a full mechanical overhaul in 2014, with the engine upgraded to 210bhp, but still retains its original interior, seats and wheels. It will be offered for sale by Bonhams, at the Goodwood 73rd Members’ Meeting on 21 March 2015, at an estimated price of £55,000 to 65,000.

Photos: Bonhams

This article is part of the series 'Cars we Love', in which we bring you our favourite classics and modern classics, every Saturday morning.

The bespoke Minis that outshone even the most colourful Rolls-Royces

The personalisation of cheap mainstream cars might be all the rage these days, but it’s far from being a new phenomenon...

Back in 1963, after decades of converting Rolls-Royce and Bentley saloons to wood-panelled ‘Countryman’ specification, West London coachbuilding firm Harold Radford identified a gap in the market for stylish and (relatively) affordable ‘second cars’. Over the next eight years, Radford applied its high-class car craftsmanship to the most classless car of all – the Mini. Its Mini de Ville turned Issigonis’s humble runabout into a mini-limousine, with deep-pile carpets, leather seats and a walnut dash featuring more gauges than many light aircraft. Externally, it was marked out by recessed grille spotlights and special bumpers. 

Punching above its weight

The 1963 price of the top-spec Grande Luxe version was £1080, a huge uplift on the £695 Mini Cooper S on which it was based, but the market was ready for it. The Times’ motoring correspondent reported that the Mini de Ville test car attracted more attention than a Ferrari Berlinetta. Celebrity owners flocked to buy them for their significant others. In 1965, Peter Sellersbought a Mini de Ville GT (by then with a side-opening rear door) for his wife Britt Ekland. Paul McCartney had one, and fellow Beatle George Harrison owned LGF 695D, a black Radford that was subsequently painted in psychedelic hues for the film Magical Mystery Tour. Eric Clapton owned it for a time before it found its way back into Harrison’s ownership. 

By 1970, the de Ville had bulbous wheelarches and ‘piggyback’ Facel Vega twin headlights, and new examples cost more than a Rolls-Royce Shadow, and only £250 less than a Lamborghini Miura. The stream of buyers began to dry up, and 1970 turned out to be the last year of Radford production, but it wasn’t the end of the ‘super luxe’ Minis of that era. Radford’s success had inspired ex-Hooper employees Bill Wood and Les Pickett to set up their own operation in the coachbuilding hotbed of West London. It’s thought that actress Hayley Mills placed the first order for Wood & Pickett’s Margrave conversion, which also had recessed spots along with the uber-chic W&P trademark nudge bar and banks of gauges and rocker switches on the dash. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr had one specially modified to accommodate his drum kit, though this unique function was probably more about PR than reality. W&P also offered its version of the Clubman 1275GT. 

Chop chop, little legend

One modded Mini that almost literally flew under the radar was the Minisprint. Produced in the mid-60s by sometime Mini racer Neville Trickett, it looked like a normal Mini from a distance, albeit a cleanly deseamed one. But there was one big difference: height. It sat three inches lower than standard, the bodyshell chopped at both screen pillars and floor. On a Mini, three inches was a lot. The result was a great-looking and surprisingly effective car. Stirling Moss bought one; Rob Walker Garages bought fifty. In the end, around 85 Minisprints were made.

In 1989, Dunstable-based ERA revived the concept of the special Mini by building the fastest ever Mini to be sold through official dealerships – the ERA Mini Turbo. A Mk 4 Mini City with a bodykit by Dennis Adams (ex-Marcos), Connolly hide seats and a 94HP turbocharged MG Metro 1300 engine, this was a well-thought-out conversion with comprehensive suspension and braking modifications to keep things tidy at the claimed top speed of 115mph. More than 400 were built in the two-year production run. 

Where are all these specialists now? Wood & Pickett still exists, and still builds ‘new’ Minis from donor vehicles in Leatherhead, Surrey, starting at £11,500 plus VAT. Radford was relaunched in 2005 by three ex-W&P craftsmen: four bespoke versions of the BMW-era MINI are currently on offer. And rumour has it that Neville Trickett is still offering Minisprint shell conversions from his castle in France. 

Photos: Getty / Rex